The Long Sojourn
by The Baron
Summary: Takes place before the first game. I've finally finished the story, concluding with chapters 7 and 8. Hope you enjoy, and sorry about the wait.
1. Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter One  
  
"We'll be experiencing some more turbulence, people, so keep   
those barf bags handy. I don't want to clean up the floor again,"   
the voice over the speaker crackled again. The Dropship began to   
tumble around more violently now, and people would have flown out   
of their seats if it wasn't for the seat belts. Anything not bolted   
down was being tossed about, and it was a wonder that the Dropship   
could keep itself together, much less enter a planet's atmosphere and   
not burn up instantly.  
  
"We'll be over the LZ in 10," the pilot said over the speaker,   
though with all the noise, hardly anybody could hear her. Five minuets   
later, the Dropship was out of the turbulence and began firing retro   
burners to slow down. Things began quieting down, until the only thing   
heard was the roar of the engines.   
  
Shawn had sat there, his eyes meeting with those of his lover,   
Maria. They had grown up together in the same small town on Tarsonis,   
had gone through school together, and had joined the Marine Corps together.   
Thanks to the coming mission, they planned to spend more quality time   
together, in less populated settings then the Barracks.  
  
Sitting near the far end of the ship was Paco. Paco had joined the   
Corps the same time as Shawn and Maria. All three of them had been childhood   
friends, but Paco was getting jealous of Shawn, particularly for going out   
with the one person he really loved, Maria. Usually talkative, he had a lot   
of things on his mind, and decided to keep them locked up there.  
  
Sitting next to Paco was Nick, known as the eccentric one of the   
squad. He was always quiet, never did much socializing with anyone, and   
loved to read. His deep blue eyes seemed to pierce right through you, but   
after a while, you got used to it, and him.  
  
Sitting between Nick and Maria was Big Joe. Big Joe was, well, big.   
He could lift twice his weight and spent most of his time working out.   
Like any good sergeant, he could be a hard ass when wanted too, but on leave   
he was a jovial guy who saved a couple of the team's collective butts on more   
than one mission.  
  
On Shawn's side, two seats down, was Mitchell, or Mitch. This guy was   
nuts. He loved to blow things up, and often volunteered to carry the big guns.   
He had requested several times to wear a Firebat suit, and our superiors finally   
gave him one. He's been happy ever since.  
  
Next to Shawn was Alex, the jokester. It's been said that Judgment Day   
would come, and Alex would still be cracking jokes and making a mockery out of the   
whole thing. He loved playing pranks, and used to be a corporal, until he went   
a little too far at a dinner that was hosting several important generals.   
Though he wont be promoted again for a long time, he still wears a smile everywhere   
he goes.  
  
On the other side of Shawn sat Elizabeth. She and Maria were best friends   
since the first day of boot camp, and acted like sisters. Although she was very nice,   
rumors would spread around the Barracks about drug and alcohol problem. Whenever   
she heard one, she just brushed it off and walked away. Then the person who started   
the rumor would end up in the infirmary an hour later.  
  
Finally, across from Elizabeth, was Lieutenant Mason. He was earning medals   
in countless battles while everyone else was still in elementary school. He was a   
man of quick thinking and good judgment, but still lived with the horror of losing   
his entire squad in the last war. As a result, he sworn never to become too close   
to anyone, and spent most of his nights playing pool by himself at the local pub.  
  
"We're almost at the LZ, people, so gear up. I don't know about you, but   
I sure as hell don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." The pilot began   
cutting back on the engines, and start going through the checklist before making   
her landing in a large clearing. When the Dropship set down, the rear door dropped   
open, and everyone jumped off. Each person was carrying an arm load of supplies   
that would last for the next couple of weeks, and the heavy equipment was slid out  
the door behind them. When everyone was off, the rear door shut with a great force,   
and the Dropship took to the sky, as if trying to escape from some unseen phantom.  
  
Watching the Dropship disappear, the troopers all turned their attention   
to the surrounding area. The clearing was surrounded on all sides by jungle and   
marshlands. The foliage was so alien to what they were use to seeing, and a   
biologist could take his whole life just studying the bugs. Even in their air   
conditioned power suits, it felt hot and humid. Shawn leaned over to Alex and   
said "It's hot enough to cook bacon and eggs." "Damn," replied Alex. "I left my   
skillet back at HQ." "Knock it off, you two," ordered Mason, setting down a large   
box full of machinery parts. "We've got a camp to set up."   
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Let's hope this works," said Big Joe, just about finished with connecting   
all the wires of the generator. The rest of the team stood in silence in a   
semi-circle around Big Joe, hot and sweaty from working in the heat. Big Joe was on   
the last connection, and said a prayer in his mind as he brought the last two wires   
together. The lights came on instantly, and a cheer came from the team. It had taken   
them all day and into the night, but finally, they got their new home up and running.  
  
It was one of those prefabricated bases with "some assembly required" stamped   
on all the boxes it came in. Of course, it usually required a lot of luck, faith, and   
ingenuity to actually get up and running. It was made up of a large dome structure   
surrounded by four smaller domes. And it had air conditioning, too.  
  
Paco was the first to get his power suit off, and voiced his joy. "Man, it feels   
great getting that stuffy thing off. Lieutenant, do you think we can hit the showers?"   
"Sorry, private. We need to do a system's check. Shawn, get on the horn, make sure we can   
contact HQ. Everyone else, get to your stations."  
  
It was an hour later, while Shawn was taking a nap at the communication station,   
when Mason walked in. "Private!" Shawn was instantly awaken, and began acting busy.   
"Um, yes, sir, what are your orders, sir?" "How's our communications, private?"   
"Well, sir, um, let me check." Shawn pressed some buttons, turned a dial and watched   
the screen in front of him begin flashing more information then he could handle in   
his tired state. "Everything seems fine, sir. Except..." he peered harder at a line   
that seemed blurry. "We're experiencing some problems with our long range transmitter.   
There's some interference from solar flare activity or something..." Shawn could feel it,   
the sleepiness creeping back on him, and almost didn't hear Mason say "That's all for   
tonight, trooper. Get some sleep."  
  
It was the next day, and Shawn had perimeter patrol duty with Nick. For most of   
the day there was an uncomfortable silence between the two troopers. Nick just had that   
intense look upon his face, as if he was hunting a wild animal. Feeling bored, Shawn tried   
striking up a conversation, learn more about this man.  
"  
So, Nick, why'd you decided to join the Corps?" Not even looking in Shawn's   
direction, Nick said in a cold, hard voice, "I didn't." Stopping, he turned to face Shawn,   
those emotionless eyes looking right through him like x-rays. "I was part of the Korhal   
rebellion a couple of weeks back. Like everyone else in my unit, I had ideals for a better,   
independent Korhal, one free of the corruption common with the Confederacy and its damn bureaucracy.   
We conducted raids every night, caused a lot of damage for those bastards. Until one night..."  
  
He turned his gaze out onto the horizon, continuing his story. "It was simple hit-and-run   
operation on a supply depot. Get it, get anything out you can carry, place the bomb, boom! We'd   
done it hundreds of times before, but we were careless, tripped the alarms by accident. Lost a few   
good men that night, but I took a lot of those sons of bitches down before they captured me. They   
tried to interrogate me, but I was trained to resist, and that's when..."  
  
Nick looked down at the ground, watching a patch of ground as if it were interesting. "They   
say, when you go through Neural Resocialization, your mind is wiped clean, and filled with patriotic   
Confed crap, to make you more willing to die for the bastards. They must have screwed up with me,   
because...I can still remember..."  
  
Nick spun around faster then Shawn could blink, dropping his gun and grabbing Shawn with both hands.   
"Do you know what it's like to kill your own friends!?! To kill the people you once called family!?! To   
kill people who loved you..." At that moment, Shawn witnessed the most incredible thing in his life:   
Nick was crying. Nick simply let his head fall to Shawn's shoulder, Shawn all the while too dumbfounded to   
do anything but stand there. The scene lasted several minuets before Nick gathered himself up, grabbing his   
rifle and continued on with the mission. Shawn stood there in a daze before coming back to reality, and began   
running to catch up with Nick. As Shawn left the area, the shadows began to move. A mysterious force had   
been watching the pair, and continued to fallow them, keep their clear and observing with hungry stomachs...  



	2. Chapters 3 & 4

Chapter 3  
  
It was late afternoon, and Lieutenant Mason was standing   
outside and watching the sun begin to dip below the horizon.   
The scene put his mind at peace, something it had needed for a   
long time. He was glad to forget the past, about the wars,   
the pain, about...her...  
  
"Um, Lieutenant, sir?" He could already tell it was   
Paco without looking behind him. He didn't like Paco much,   
thought the man was a prick, always questioning orders all the   
time. I guess that's why not many people liked him. "Yes,   
Private?"  
  
"Sir, I've just been wondering, why are we out here?   
Why us? I mean, if we're setting up an outpost or something,   
that'd explain much, but, why so little supplies? Why only one   
squad? Wouldn't they send a construction team with us, build   
something more permanent? Wouldn't..."  
  
Mason already had enough of Paco's complaining, and   
turned around, meeting the worm face to face. "Private, I have   
had enough of your bitching and moaning about every mission   
we go on. It's a wonder why you even joined the Marine Corps.   
I had hoped you'd get it through that damn skull of yours, but   
obviously, you haven't. When the brass tells us to do something,   
we do it, without question. If they tell us to stay on this   
planet for a month, we will stay for a month. If they told us   
to stay for the rest of our lives, we will stay for the rest of   
our lives. Right now, I'm waiting for them to tell me to   
shove my foot up your ass till it comes out of your fucking   
mouth, cause that is what I'd like to do to you right now!   
You are dismissed, Private!"  
  
With that, Mason turned around and walked off, trying   
to clear his mind of anger, and return to the peace that was   
interrupted. Paco simply stood there, and slowly clenched his   
fist. You damn son of a bitch he thought. It's people like you   
that make my life miserable. You'll get yours, Lieutenant,   
just like everyone else who disrespects me.  
  
It was dark in the living quarters, dark enough that   
you almost couldn't see your hands. Which wouldn't be good,   
thought Elizabeth, because then how could I drink my whiskey?   
She was sitting on her bunk and had waited long enough, while   
everyone else was busy doing something, to "kick back a few." Well,   
of course, she could never have just a few, and she was 3/4 through   
the bottle when Maria walked in from her shower, still drying off.  
  
"Your not drinking again, are you, Lizzy?" Lizzy was   
Elizabeth's childhood name, and only a few privileged people   
could ever call her that. "Why, of course not, Maria. I'm just   
having a little contest to see who could drink more, and right now,   
I'm winning..." "Come on Lizzy, why do you do this to yourself..."   
"You know damn well why, Maria!"  
  
Maria stood there in silence, remembering the night   
Elizabeth told her about her family. She had a pretty screwed-up   
family, her mom was a prostitute, her dad a vet who could never   
keep a job for long. What little money he had he used on drugs   
and alcohol, so the family depended on money from relatives and   
mom's job. One day, her dad was working at a construction site,   
when there was an accident...he died three days later, and   
Elizabeth had been in a depression ever since.  
  
Maria took a seat next to her friend, laying a hand on   
her shoulder. "Elizabeth, when are you going to get help? This   
is a serious problem you have." Elizabeth opened her mouth to   
say something, but was interrupted by the PA. "Elizabeth, this   
is Big Joe, I need your help with something."  
  
Slowly, Elizabeth stood up, sliding the bottle under   
her sheets, and walk to the door. She looked back at Maria   
before opening it and walking out, leaving Maria sitting there   
in the dark.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
It had been two weeks since the squad had set up their   
encampment, and nothing interesting had happened. This was   
especially murderous for Alex. He had long hoped for something   
to blow up, some excitement to get the adrenaline pumping.   
He even asked Mason if he could burn something, get a campfire   
going, anything that had to do with fire. But the lieutenant   
had forbid him, said he didn't want Alex starting a forest   
fire. So Alex would spend most of the day in the compound,   
tuning his Firebat suit and smoking a stogie. Except for today.  
  
"Damn it, where are they? That couldn't have been the   
last one." He was in the storage locker, looking for his emergency   
package of cigars. He had already looked everywhere else for most   
of the day and really needed to light up right now. Most of the   
equipment was scattered on the floor, and to no avail, the cigars   
were not to be found. It was then that a small package caught   
Alex's eye. It was hidden behind some other boxes, and though Alex   
didn't remember packing his cigars in a that package, it looked the   
right size to him. Shoving the rest of the crap out of the way,   
he quickly pulled out his knife and cut the package open.   
What he found inside was not his cigars.  
  
"What do you suppose it is, Lieutenant?" It was an hour later,   
and the entire squad was gathered around the mess table. "I'm not   
sure, Private, but it's not on the equipment record."  
  
The device had been placed in the middle of the table, and   
seemed to be made up of two parts. What they considered the base of   
the device had no buttons, no dials, not even an ON/OFF switch.   
The top half branched out from the base to form four limbs of equal   
distance from each other. The top half rotated 90° around, stop, and   
continued the process. It looked to be some sort of transmitter or   
homing beacon, but sensors picked up nothing coming from it.  
  
"Private," Mason turned his attention to Shawn. "Do we   
have any communication ability with the main ship?" "Sorry, sir.   
We're still getting interference." Mason looked long and hard at   
the device, then back up to the rest of the squad. "All right,   
everyone, back to your stations. Joe, I need a word with you."  
  
As everyone else went off in their own direction,   
Big Joe and Mason walked over to the opposite side of the room.   
"Joe, what do you think about all of this?" "I'm not sure, sir.   
Do you think it's a bomb?" "It might be, sensors couldn't get   
through that armor. If it is a bomb....." "Could one of them   
have placed it, sir?" "I don't want to jump to conclusions, Joe,   
but I think it'd be better if we both stayed on alert." "Right,   
sir." As Mason walked off, Joe looked back at the device.   
Everything is going as planned he thought.........  



	3. Chapters 5 & 6

Chapter 5  
It was Mitch and Elizabeth's turn for patrol duty,the   
3rd time this week. Patrol duty was the worst for Mitch and   
Lizzy, as they were always paired together but hated the living   
hell out of each other. Lizzy thought Mitch was a total mental   
case (which he was) and Mitch thought Lizzy was the most profoundly   
boring person in the sector.  
  
They had stopped in a clearing to take a rest after walking   
around the jungle for three hours. Lizzy sat down on the ground and   
stretched out her sore limbs. Mitch's attention was caught by a   
strange little animal sitting on a branch. It had deep green skin,   
with small arms and legs, a little head atop a snake-like neck, and a   
rather long tail that swished about. It was eating away at a purple   
fruit when Mitch had a devilish idea and his mouth grinned from ear to ear.  
  
Raising his right arm, he aimed at the creature's tail, and   
activated the flame-thrower, firing a short burst. The lower part of the   
creature's tail caught of fire, and with a screech, jumped off its perch.   
Still screaming, it spread its arms wide and revealed a thin layer of skin   
that stretched from arm to leg. The creature's "wings" caught the wind and   
the poor thing just missed hitting the ground. Riding the wind, it glided   
deeper into the jungle, but not before starting a little bush on fire.  
  
Mitch was laughing hysterically, slapping his knee and nearly choking   
to death. "What the hell's the matter with you!" In a fit of rage, Lizzy   
stood up and turned a still laughing Mitch around to face her. "What the fuck   
is the matter to you, Mitch! That was a poor, defenseless creature you burned!"   
"Well, it sure burned good!" Mitch began another series of uncontrollable   
laughter, to the point that he fell on the ground, grabbing his sides because   
they hurt so much from laughing. "I swear, Mitch, I'm gonna mess you up good...."  
  
Mitch calmed down enough to realize that Lizzy had gone quiet. He looked   
up at her and saw she was looking off behind him. He also saw the flicker of a   
burning fire reflected in her eyes. Mitch turned to face what was once a small   
fire was now on the verge of becoming a raging blaze. But that wasn't what had   
grabbed their attention. The fire had illuminated a pair of two slanted, red   
eyes. Soon that pair became a trio, then a dozen, then two dozen. As the eyes   
came closer, the fire began illuminating fangs, claws and other nasty things   
designed to draw blood. "Ah shit," was all Mitch could say.  
  
Chapter Six  
Slowly, Shawn began to wake up, and found himself in the sleeping quarters,   
with the lights dim and door shut. Trying to remember what he had been doing here,   
he realized his left arm was wrapped around something warm, and looked over. A   
mostly nude (her lower half was covered by sheets) Maria was lying next to him in   
bed, and as his vision got better, he saw his hand was cupped over her left breast.   
He traced her right arm running over his stomach and downward, disappearing under   
the sheets and holding onto his favorite friend. "Now I remember," he said quietly,   
not to wake Maria up, but his movements stirred his companion awake. A drowsy Maria   
gradually fluttered her eyes open, and turned her head to face Shawn.  
"  
That was pretty good, lover boy," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Only   
pretty good? You mean I wasn't great? I'm heartbroken." "Think you have enough   
energy to redeem yourself?" "Let's try." Maria rolled over on to Shawn and sat up,   
her legs spread on either side of Shawn, revealing her beautifully rounded, yet perky   
tits. They would've continued on if only the emergency lights and siren hadn't turned   
on and startled them half to death. "Guess we'd better see what's going on," said   
Maria, hoping off and begining picking her clothes off the ground. "Damn it," replied   
Shawn, shortly joining her. "Why can't these things ever wait?"  
  
The hastily dressed pair hurried down to the main hall to find the squad helping   
a bloody Elizabeth onto the table. "Lizzy!" Maria ran to the side of her unconscious   
friend, still in her combat suit, which had been recently furbished with several gashing   
holes. "Let's get her out of that thing," said Mason, as most of the squad took the suit   
off piece by piece. Shawn stood there, staring at the bloody Elizabeth, then looked over   
to see Mitch, leaning against the wall and breathing heavy. Shawn ran to his side.  
  
"Mitch, what the hell happened?!?" "They....they...they just kept coming! So many  
....claws....they were just everywhere!" "Calm down, damn it! Tell me what happened!"   
"These....things, they surrounded us. The smaller ones, some of them....jumped on   
Elizabeth, started stabbing her. She shot some off, but....she fell....I got the rest.   
Damn little buggers are hard....to kill. Began dragging her away, but.....the big ones.....  
like snakes or something....shot these....spines at us. Burned them all good, yes, burned  
....them all good. The whole jungle should.......be on fire now...."  
  
With that, Mitch fell forward on his face, and Shawn saw several of the long,   
jagged-edged spines sticking out of his left shoulder. "Lieutenant!" Mason rushed over   
to Shawn's yell and saw the wounds. "Thank god they didn't hit the fuel tank," he said,   
whipping sweat and blood off his face. "Help me get them out."  
  
As Mason slowly clenched his hands around one of the spines, everyone froze as a   
mammoth roar pierced the compound. It was less a roar then it was a chorus of a thousands   
voices, off in the distance. The entire squad, except for Lizzy, turned their heads to   
where the sound was coming from. Looking out from the still opened door, the fire outside   
was casting an erie glow to add to the atmosphere. Mitch lifted his head to get a better   
view outside, and went wide-eyed. "It's them! They're coming back!"  



	4. Chapters 7 & 8 (Final)

Chapter 7  
Nick was the first to respond, grabbing his rifle off   
the table and cocking it. "I'm going out there," he said, and   
rushed through the door. "Private, get back here! Son of a   
bitch," yelled Mason, still holding the spine he pulled out of   
Mitch. "I'll get him, sir," shouted Shawn, running out the   
door. "God damn it! Everyone, suit up!" Mason shut the door   
behind Shawn, who pulled out his sidearm pistol and scanned   
the surrounding jungle. He saw a rustle in the bushes and   
investigated, figuring Nick had just run through them. As   
he got closer, this.....thing jumped out of the thicket.   
It stood there before Shawn, an insect-like monster, as big as   
a dog but with six legs, some sort of shell armor and deadly   
claws and fangs. Shocked and surprised, Shawn almost fell back,   
then trained his pistol on the creature. The two faced each other   
off, sizing the competition, then the creature made it's move.   
It leaped up at Shawn, taking two rounds from the trooper's pistol,   
and landed off to the side. Shawn examined the damaged done, but   
saw only two dent marks in it's armor. All he did was shake it up.   
  
The thing did an about-face towards Shawn and reared back,   
ready to pounce. It leapt back in the air as Shawn unloaded the   
rest of the clip and fell back, the creature slamming into him.   
Shawn frantically pushed the beast off of him and stood up, half   
expecting it to jump again, but it didn't move. A bullet had pierced   
one of the creature's eyes, and what looked like rust-tinted blood   
spilled out of the hole. Emptying out the old clip and forcing a   
new one in, Shawn took off in the direction the creature came from,   
keeping a lookout for more beasts.  
  
Meanwhile, back at base, a frenzied Big Joe, hiding in the   
storage area, held the strange device in one hand, and an encoded   
comlink in the other. "God damn it, when the hell are you guys going   
to pick me up!" "Patience, Sergeant. We're still testing the effects   
of the-" "Sucks to your testing! You know what this thing can do,   
and two of my troopers were almost killed because of it!" "Calm down,   
Sergeant. A Dropship is heading for you right now. It'll meet   
you outside the complex. Don't keep it waiting."   
  
Big Joe shoved the comlink in his pocket, just as Mason walked   
into the room "What th-? Sergeant, what the fuck are you doing with   
that thing!" Big Joe pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Mason, who   
stepped back in surprise. "It's my fault, sir. I should have told you.   
I should have-" "Told me what. Sergeant?" Mason was more calm, especially   
with a weapon trained at his head. "It was all suppose go perfectly to plan,"   
responded a tearful Big Joe. "They said no one would get hurt, they said   
they wanted to test the range." "Who's they? And test what?" "This,"   
said Joe, pointing the gun at the device then back at Mason. "It attracts   
these....these.....aliens, sir. They're like demons from hell, sent by   
the Grim Reaper himself, sir. There are things out there, in the cold of   
space, that would scare the shit out of you. And they're coming, coming   
this way for us, for the entire human race! The government wants to harness   
them, like some new bio weapon. But they're so terrible, so horrifying,   
they're something I'd never wish on anybody.  
  
"But that don't matter now. Nothing matters anymore. There'll be a   
Dropship outside in a few minuets, and I want the whole squad on it, sir.   
See you on the other side." With that, Joe pointed the gun in his mouth   
and fired, his brains splattering on the wall behind him. Mason watched   
as Big Joe fell face forward, a big gash on the back of his head. Taking   
in everything the sergeant said, he said good-bye to his friend and ran back   
to the others.  
  
Chapter 8  
Most of the jungle was engulfed by flames, lighting up the usually   
dim forest floor. Even during this firestorm, Nick acted in his usual,   
calm self. Kneeling on his left knee, he followed a large set of tracks   
into a dense packet of trees, which presently were burning to ashes. Hearing   
a noise above the roar of the flames, he turned with his rifle drawn, aiming   
at an out-of-breath Shawn. "What do you think you are doing, Nick?" Nick   
was about to answer when his right shoulder burst open, a spine shooting   
right through it. Shawn watched as Nick fell to the ground in pain, then   
looked up to see the monster that did it. It was just like Mitch said,   
the lower half of it's body a snake's tail, the upper half kind of like   
the smaller creature he saw, hard carapace with claws and fangs. The front   
of it's upper half was opened up like two swinging doors, and Shawn could   
see the rows of spines sticking out. Another one spat out, just missing   
Shawn by an inch.  
  
"Go, get out of here! I'll hold them off," shouted Nick. Clutching   
his rifle with his other arm, he rolled over to face the thing and fired,   
armor piercing rounds striking the beast. The first few bounced off as   
the rest punctured the brute, which gave off a screech and feel on it's side.   
Nick lifted his head up to Shawn, "I said go, NOW!" Giving thanks to the   
brave soldier, Shawn took off back towards the base.  
  
All around him he could hear the cries of the beasts mingle with the   
roar of the fire. Shawn dodged falling debris and jumped over burning trees   
when he realized he was being followed. Several spines flew by him and,   
turning his head and seeing out of the corner of this eye, saw several of the   
small creature running towards him. At last he reached the base and saw.....a   
Dropship! But it was leaving!  
  
Maria was with the pilot, the Dropship slowly rising up when she saw   
Shawn running out of the jungle. "It's Shawn! Quick, put us back down!"   
"Sorry, miss. I've got orders to take us back now." "Screw your orders,   
I said-" but she stopped and almost broke out in tears. Before here very eyes   
several spines shot right through her man, and watched as several creatures   
jumped him and began tearing away at his ragged corpse. She would've let loose   
the floodgates if several of the spines hadn't shot through the cockpit screen,   
one slicing open the head of the pilot.   
  
The dead pilot fell forward on the controls and the Dropship lurched forward   
into the jungle. It skimmed the tops of the trees as Maria feel backwards into the   
main compartment with the rest of the squad. In the jungle below hundreds of spines   
were shot up at the Dropship, many striking it's underside. One of them cut the fuel   
line to the number one engine and plasma began spewing out. The Dropship was leaving   
a trail of plasma gas behind it as a speck of gas was ignited by the adjoining number   
two engine, which started a chain reaction. The entire left side of the Dropship was   
blown to pieces, killing most of the squad. Alex, the last one alive, sat against the   
wall with a chuck of steel in his stomach, watching the world outside spin around and   
around. Slowly he too slipped into a coma, as the Dropship slammed into the jungle,   
leaving a huge fireball and a crater in the wilderness.  
  
Above all of this chaos, in orbit around the planet, sat a colossal   
Explorer-class Science Vessel, it's every instrument trained on the jungle world.  
And at his desk, a scientist watched his monitor, which showed an image of the Dropship   
crash site. He was thinking for a bit, and started on his notes:  
  
PROJECT FOXTROT-TANGO-7-8-3-1.6 IS A SUCCESS. DEVICE ATTRACTED ZERG COLONY   
ON BETA-9 AT 14.9 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. NEW ZERG COLONY GROWING ON WORLD BELOW.   
ESTIMATED COLLATERAL DAMAGE DONE IS LIGHT WITH FEW HUMAN LOSSES. RECOMMEND INCREASE   
PRODUCTION OF THE PSYCHIC AMPLIFIER DEVICE. END OF REPORT.  



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